A new toll schedule for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel took effect Jan. 1.

The toll for passenger vehicles, RVs and light trucks for a one-way trip across the 23-mile span is now $14 during off-peak periods and $18 during peak season.

That's an increase of $1 over the former toll rate.

Peak season pricing will become effective Fridays through Sundays, beginning Friday, May 17. Peak season is defined as every Friday, beginning at 12:00 a.m., through Sunday at 11:59 p.m., from May 17 through Sept. 15.

For those vehicles, a return trip within 24 hours will cost $6 during off-peak season and $2 during peak season — use of EZ Pass to pay is required to get the discounts.

The old off-peak return rate was $5, while the peak season return rate was $3.

Additionally, vehicles can pay $6 per trip with 30 or more one-way trips within 30 days, a $1 hike over the old rate.

Rates for buses, trucks and vehicles towing trailers also have changed with the new year.

Still, according to an analysis on the bridge-tunnel website, the toll rate per mile to cross the span compares favorably with other water crossings in the region.

At 61 cents per mile for a one-way crossing — or 43 cents per mile for the 24-hour roundtrip rate or 26 cents for the commuter rate — the cost per mile is less than the toll for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in Maryland, at 93 cents per mile; the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, which costs $2.04 per mile with EZ Pass; or the Downtown or Mid-town Tunnels in Hampton Roads, tunnels under one mile in length for which the lowest rate is $2.73.

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Commemorative tiles were given to attendees at a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017 for the parallel tunnel project on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.(Photo: Staff photo by Carol Vaughn)

The commission in 2013 approved a toll rate increase for 2014 and additional, approximate 10 percent increases every five years thereafter to help pay for accelerating the timeline for the parallel tunnel construction project, which is now underway.

The Thimble Shoals Parallel Tunnel is slated to be completed in 2022.

No federal, state or local taxes are used to construct or support the Bridge-Tunnel.